Jennifer Thomas

Sometimes I wonder how much I miss when I'm not paying attention.

Night noises, moths in the moonlight, the darkness of the ocean depths, and more... The new issue of Little Thoughts Press (@littlethoughtspress.com) is here, just in time to light up the imaginations of young readers during spooky season. 🔦👀🔦 littlethoughtspress.com/issues

Good morning and Happy Saturday!

It's that time of year again... Geese are flying again. I don’t always see them but I hear them in the sky above our home on the valley rim.... Full poem here: brian-moses.blogspot.com/2025/12/gees...

Terms that are making me smile today: lamb’s tail, grey kittens, house moss, and ghost feathers. They’re all names for the soft rolls of dust that collect under beds.

Full of shadows & starlight, gloom & gloam & the spine-tingling delight of being up past bedtime, Issue 15: In the Dark spotlights the magic & mystery hiding in the dark. A perfect read for this Halloween week! Available now in print or free/pay-what-you-want pdf. littlethoughtspress.com/issues

Word that’s making me smile today: envermeiled. It’s a lost word that means to be suffused with a brilliant scarlet colour, as if with vermillion.

A rusty godwit fence #animalart #wildlifeart #natureart #birdart #collage #noai #shorebirds See profile for digital download link

Word that’s making me smile today: hugmynd is the Icelandic word for idea. It literally means “mind picture,” but it looks like “hug for the mind” in English.

I’m excited to share this interview about Where the Light Shines In that’s featured in the latest issue of Nimblewit Magazine! 💜💜💜 @nimblewitlit.bsky.social @epistemiclit.bsky.social epistemiclit.com/nimblewitlit...

Word that’s making me smile today: sky. In Old Norse, a ský was a cloud that cast a shadow over the earth. The Vikings brought the word to England, where it shifted over time to mean the entire upper atmosphere.

Thank you to the California Reading Association for designating THE OCEAN'S HEART a EUREKA! Honor book! Congrats to Khoa Le (illus.) for the luminous look into the night sea! And congrats to Team Lerner/Millbrook! Truly an honor. @lernerbooks.bsky.social @steelworksliterary.bsky.social #kidlit

Word that’s making me smile today: inkle. It’s a lost verb from the 14th century that means to utter in an undertone or hint at. A whisper of this word has survived into the 21st century in the word inkling.

This morning I’m the rattle of the can, and the dredge of rain, I’m the isle of light where the cat had lain. I’m the snap of a door and a bolt of light alive to each sound and sight #poetry #morningwalk

Early mornings. ✨

Word that’s making me smile today: scunnered. It’s a Scottish term that means completely fed up with a person or situation. If you’re scunnered, your last nerve is vibrating with irritation.

Happy Monday! 💚 Love cats? Know someone with a cat? Seen a cat? This is the perfect card for you! Get your paws on one now www.thalamusplank.etsy.com 🐾😻 Reposts welcome! Sincere thanks! 🤗 #greetingcards #cats

Wish #ScbwiArtober2026 #NatureArt #EphemeralArt

A huge thank you to @northerngravy.bsky.social! Deeply honoured to have my poems included in Edition 18 alongside fantastic writers! Congratulations to all the contributors. #kidlit northerngravy.com/poems-by-jos...

A hare with ears of gold, taking the air this morning just after sunrise. ✨

Word that’s making me smile today: euneirophrenia. It’s the lingering sensation of peace as you wake from a pleasant dream, which leaves you wishing you could forget about the real world and slip back into the dream. 📷: OKJaguar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In the hope of reviving my Etsy shop (😭!!) I've listed some new cards. Obviously, I would be extremely grateful to anyone who brought one, but even if you weren't able to or didn't want to, just a visit to my store would help kick start the algorithm!! www.thalamusplank.etsy.com Sincere thanks! 🤗

Hairy #ScbwiArtober2026 #NatureArt #EphemeralArt

jengelmattern.substack.com/p/washington...

Word that’s making me smile today: limn. Limners illuminated medieval manuscripts with gold and silver. Over time, limn came to mean to vividly portray something, such as a musician limning an emotion or a writer limning a character.

Poetry goes to waste in Rotterdam www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Word that’s making me smile today: ochibabune. It’s a Japanese term that means “fallen leaf boat.” In Japan, an autumn leaf drifting on water is a poignant metaphor for vulnerability and impermanence. 📷: William Warby, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Small meetings. ✨

Word that’s making me smile today: opificer. It’s a lost term for a person who creates things. It comes from the Latin word opus, which means the product of labour or literally “work of art.”

Calling all kidlit writers and illustrators! ✨ If you're looking for a community that lifts you up, sharpens your craft, AND opens doors to real submission opportunities — KidLit Firefly is your people. Come glow with us! 💫 mighty-kidlit.mn.co/share/8psOoR...

Lit Kids needs submissions for Issue 12: Fantasy from 5-13 y/o creatives! Send writing, art, and photography by 11/7 for consideration, and please help us spread the word. Keep shining! ✨ www.litkidsmagazine.com/submissions #parents #teachers #librarians #kidlit #emag #submissions

Word that’s making me smile today: friluftsliv. This untranslatable Norwegian word, coined by Henrik Ibsen in the 1850s, literally means “free-air life.” It captures Norwegians’ view that life is best lived outside.

Daily poetry prompt: Having fun with three syllable words - jellyfish, aubergines, holiday, underground etc. brian-moses.blogspot.com/2019/05/jell...

Happy #ForestFriday I probably have taken 100+ pictures of this beautiful Ponderosa over the last 15 years.. She sits 150 feet above the Smith river clinging to life on a rocky slate cliff.. and is one harsh winter away from these rocks giving way.. Lewis and Clark National Forest #scape

Word that’s making me smile today: dørstokkmil. It’s an untranslatable Norwegian word that means "the doorstep mile,” for those times when it’s a struggle to leave the comforts of home and venture out into the world.

This morning I’m a door that’s closing soon and the sight of a low and distant moon. I’m the wish on a star in the middle of the day and a blue dress sky so far away

Word that’s making me smile today: ataractic. It means serene.

My comfort zone is boosting other creatives' stuff. But okay, here's one by me. And Mike Deas. And @orcabook.bsky.social. Got zero trade reviews, but my creative peers seem to love it.

Lit Kids needs submissions for Issue 12: Fantasy by 11/7! Do you know a creative 5-13 y/o kid? Please encourage them to send writing, art, and photos to our mentors to be considered for publication. Keep shining! ✨ www.litkidsmagazine.com/submissions #kidlit #parents #teachers #emag

kitchen after dark the distant moon still gilding the cheeks of apples

GIVEAWAY ALERT! Win a free audiobook copy of Where the Light Shines In. ☀️ Giveaway code requires a Spotify account, but you can create one for free to redeem! To enter: Like Comment Follow me Repost Closes at 8 am MST on Oct. 12.

Word that’s making me smile today: zwodder. It’s an old dialect word for a drowsy, I-need-a-strong-coffee-or-maybe-two-strong-coffees state.

Word that’s making me smile today: remembrancer. It has a number of meanings lost to time. One is that a remembrancer is a reminder or memento. A seashell, a ticket stub, a worn satin ribbon, a pet’s collar.

Happy #KidLitArtPostcardDay! In honor of my book release next Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, I am sharing a piece of art from that book, The Day Kindness Came. "Kindness didn't run away. She stayed. Her small hand fit perfectly in Bear's paw." Repped by @kterrette.bsky.social

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard! I’m Juliana Salcedo, a Picture Book illustrator who loves typography, drawing, and limited palettes. ☘︎ My porfolio: jusabar.net ☘︎ I’m repped by: @agenthawk.bsky.social

substack.com/@jengelmatte...

Term that’s making me smile today: sea lantern. It’s what lighthouses are called in Turkey.

Happy October #kidlitartpostcard Day! A snail may be slow, but boy do they talk fast. This surprises many. Also, hi! I’m K. Risa McLoughlin, a kidlit illustrator represented by Lori Steel @steelworksliterary.bsky.social I love a good pencil drawing, and if you do too then you’re in good company 🐌

It’s #kidlitartpostcard day - sharing a progress sketch from my book proposal 📚🌌🌊 I’m a UK based illustrator, artist and immersive storyteller, currently seeking representation and children’s book illustration opportunities ☺️ #kidlit #kidlitartist #kidlitillustration #kidlitpostcard